Korean Air’s Boeing 747s To Replace Ageing E-4B ‘Nightwatch’ As US Seeks New “Doomsday” Plane

The US Air Force’s highly specialised Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) aircraft will be based on Boeing 747-8s airframe, The War Zone reported. Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), which won the contract to build the USAF’s SAOC aircraft, confirmed the acquisition of five 747-8s from Korean Air. These planes are likely to be converted as the successors to the Air Force’s ageing 747-200-based E-4B Nightwatch “doomsday planes.” The deal is valued at $674 million and is part of the airline’s broader plans to modernise its fleet. The transfer of the aircraft to SNC is planned to be completed by September 2025, said Korean Air. Sierra Nevada Corporation had emerged as the undisputed contender to win the deal after Boeing dropped out last year. On April 27, SNC announced that it had bagged the US Air Force’s $13 billion contract to replace the E-4B Nightwatch.